View allAll Photos Tagged tayninh
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A cute little girl at the gates of the Cao Dai Temple. She was not sure about me, though.
Tây Ninh, Vietnam. January 2025.
Emerald River Cruises.
A photo taken from the Sun World cable car on the way to the summit of Nui Ba Den. Tropical vegetation looked so impenetrable.
Nui Ba Den was a strategic place during the American War as it commands a sweeping view over the Mekong Delta. US troops defended the summit until 1975 supplied with food and ammunition by air. Viet Cong forces controlled the mountainside and continued attacking the summit according to the Vietnamese version of Wikipedia.
The deep forest in the photo is supposed to have separated the two sides.
The old part of Tây Ninh City is supposed to have developed along the Tây Ninh riverside. Two photos were merged to get this image.
The mountain vaguely seen in the upper right is a stratovolcano called Núi Bà Đen meaning black lady mountain. It is the highest mountain in the Mekong Delta with an elevation of 996 m. More importantly, it is a sacred mountain for Đạo Mẫu or the mother goddess worship in the Mekong Delta.
Tay Ninh is located where the Ho Chi Minh Trail meets the Mekong Delta and is only 90 km to Saigon. Fierce battles were fought during the American War for the control of the strategically important volcano according to the English version of Wikipedia.
It is allowed to enter the Cao Dai main temple and take photos of the interior. It is unusually colourful and full of religious graphics. Each dragon twining the pillar has a red jewel ball on the nose.
In my opinion, what makes the religious architectures in the Mekong Delta so brightly colourful would be the use of blue. It is rare to see this colour in temples in other parts of Vietnam. It might be a French influence as the Mekong Delta and Saigon were directly ruled by the French colonial government as compared with other areas ruled as protectorates.
Đi về mệt chết được T__T nhứccccc mõiiiii toàn thân hiuhiu :((
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Àh hnay là 1 ngày có nhiều tâm trạg khác nhau . Khó hiểu thật ?! Bittersweet ^^
Chắc do tự suy nghĩ tự buồn
Haha em có là gì đâu em ơi ...
Eastward view from the terrace built on the summit of Nui Ba Den. The Dark Avalokitesvara statue uploaded previously is seen in the opposite direction.
The water body in the haze is Hồ Dầu Tiếng which is a reservoir constructed by damming the Saigon river. The reservoir is located 20 km to the east of Tay Ninh City and 70 km to the northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. It is the largest irrigation reservoir in Southeast Asia. Construction started in 1981 with funding from the World Bank according to Wikipedia.
The Saigon river is not a tributary nor a distributary of the Mekong. Hence HCMC is not part of the Mekong Delta unlike Tay Ninh City.
Caodaism (Đạo Cao Đài, 道高臺) is a new religion founded by Phạm Công Tắc and Lê Văn Trung in 1926. I already uploaded photos of the Cao Dai temple in Ca Mau, but this is their headquarters in the suburb of Tay Ninh City.
Caodaism is a monotheistic religion but also a syncretism of many religions integrating Catholicism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, plus Vietnamese folk beliefs under the slogan that "God is One but has many different names by religion".
Tay Ninh is said to have been chosen for the site of its headquarters due to its proximity to Nui Ba Den. The above mentioned founders came from other parts of the Mekong Delta.
As you see, Cao Dai temples are decorated with unique and colourful graphics.
Another huge statue on the summit of Nui Ba Den. It is adorned with vapour from the artificial waterfalls.
Please see human figures in the upper part of the photo to realise the size of the statue.
Budai is a nickname of a fat Chinese monk Qici (契此) who lived in the 9-10th century always carrying a big cloth sack that is called budai (布袋) in Chinese.
Budai is believed to be a reincarnation of Maitreya in Vietnam and southern China. Sun World brochure writes that it is a statue of Maitreya.
Maitreya is a Bodhisattva of Mahayana Buddhism. It is multi-theistic with many Bodhisattvas, which makes a contrast with Theravada Buddhism that is basically a faith about Gautama Siddhartha, the Buddha.
Mahayana Buddhism was formed while it was being overwhelmed by Hinduism. They tried to survive by insisting gods of other religions to be members of the Mahayana pantheon. Many Hindu gods and goddesses are worshipped also by Mahayana Buddhism as minor deities.
Maitreya is supposed to have its origin in Iranian god of Mithra and share the root with Greco-Roman Mithras. In this sense, he is an expatriate in the Mahayana pantheon. It is interesting that he now has a Chinese appearance.
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Cao Đài is a Vietnamese monotheistic syncretic religion that retains many elements from Vietnamese folk religion such as ancestor worship, as well as "ethical precepts from Confucianism, occult practices from Taoism, theories of karma and rebirth from Buddhism, and a hierarchical organization from Roman Catholicism". It was officially established in the city of Tây Ninh in Southern Vietnam in 1926.
The full name of the religion is Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ (chữ Hán: 大道三期普度 'The Great Faith [for the] Third Universal Redemption').
Adherents engage in practices such as prayer, veneration of ancestors, nonviolence, and vegetarianism with the goal of union with God and freedom from saṃsāra. Estimates of the number of Caodaists in Vietnam vary; government figures estimate 4.4 million Caodaists affiliated to the Cao Đài Tây Ninh Holy See, with numbers rising up to 6 million if other branches are added.
The United Nations found about 2.5 million Cao Dai followers in Vietnam as of January 2015. An additional number of adherents in the tens of thousands, primarily ethnic Vietnamese, live in North America, Cambodia, Europe and Australia as part of the Cao Dai diaspora. (Wikipedia)
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View of the temple from the river. We thought it was colourful when first seeing it from a distance, but the colours and details inside are incredible.
Tây Ninh, Vietnam. January 2025.
Emerald River Cruises.
A photo taken in an old part of the city near the Tây Ninh river.
Even though it was my first time visiting Tay Ninh, the city at twilight was felt nostalgic.
Tree branches are of royal poinciana or flamboyant (Delonix regia), a fabaceae (bean) species. It is native to Madagascar but planted all over Vietnam as a street tree.
Tay Ninh used to be the capital of Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam (PRG) from 1969 to 1972. It was a puppet underground government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam).
The capital of PRG was relocated to Lộc Ninh from 1972 to 1973. It is a small town where I had pho after crossing the border from Cambodia. Viet Con forces had their bases in eastern Cambodia where I had travelled so far.
PRG was officially recognised as an independent entity by socialist states in 1973, replaced the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) after the fall of Saigon in 1975, and merged with North Vietnam to form the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976.
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Cao Đài is a Vietnamese monotheistic syncretic religion that retains many elements from Vietnamese folk religion such as ancestor worship, as well as "ethical precepts from Confucianism, occult practices from Taoism, theories of karma and rebirth from Buddhism, and a hierarchical organization from Roman Catholicism". It was officially established in the city of Tây Ninh in Southern Vietnam in 1926.
The full name of the religion is Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ (chữ Hán: 大道三期普度 'The Great Faith [for the] Third Universal Redemption').
Adherents engage in practices such as prayer, veneration of ancestors, nonviolence, and vegetarianism with the goal of union with God and freedom from saṃsāra. Estimates of the number of Caodaists in Vietnam vary; government figures estimate 4.4 million Caodaists affiliated to the Cao Đài Tây Ninh Holy See, with numbers rising up to 6 million if other branches are added.
The United Nations found about 2.5 million Cao Dai followers in Vietnam as of January 2015. An additional number of adherents in the tens of thousands, primarily ethnic Vietnamese, live in North America, Cambodia, Europe and Australia as part of the Cao Dai diaspora. (Wikipedia)
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This temple is full of amazing colour, imagery and detail. This is a close up view of the alter.
Tây Ninh, Vietnam. January 2025.
Emerald River Cruises.
The Cao Dai temple is like a museum of religious arts.
Kỳ lân is a mythical creature that is considered auspicious. It is a chimera of dragon (head), deer (body and horn), cow (tail), horse (hoof), snake/fish (scale) etc.
It has a Chinese origin and is known to be associated with Confucianism. It is found in countries that are influenced by the religion/philosophy/theory/ethic.
Kỳ lân is the Vietnamese pronunciation of Chinese Qilan (麒麟 pronounced "chilan").
It is pronounced Kirin in Japan. It is rather a beer brand (flic.kr/p/2hpNVvM) than a religious symbol (^_^;
Please, no invitations to award/forced comment groups or to those with large/animated comment codes.
Cao Đài is a Vietnamese monotheistic syncretic religion that retains many elements from Vietnamese folk religion such as ancestor worship, as well as "ethical precepts from Confucianism, occult practices from Taoism, theories of karma and rebirth from Buddhism, and a hierarchical organization from Roman Catholicism". It was officially established in the city of Tây Ninh in Southern Vietnam in 1926.
The full name of the religion is Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ (chữ Hán: 大道三期普度 'The Great Faith [for the] Third Universal Redemption').
Adherents engage in practices such as prayer, veneration of ancestors, nonviolence, and vegetarianism with the goal of union with God and freedom from saṃsāra. Estimates of the number of Caodaists in Vietnam vary; government figures estimate 4.4 million Caodaists affiliated to the Cao Đài Tây Ninh Holy See, with numbers rising up to 6 million if other branches are added.
The United Nations found about 2.5 million Cao Dai followers in Vietnam as of January 2015. An additional number of adherents in the tens of thousands, primarily ethnic Vietnamese, live in North America, Cambodia, Europe and Australia as part of the Cao Dai diaspora. (Wikipedia)
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Interior of the temple. The monks and nuns wear white and pray in a similar manner to the buddhists. I was surprised as the neon LCD lighting around the arches. Above the blue lights, one can find carvings of the saints of Cao Dai, including Jesus, Buddha and more.
Tây Ninh, Vietnam. January 2025.
Emerald River Cruises.
You will see this unusual architecture soon after getting out of the cable car station on the summit.
Judging from the script written at the foot of the statue, which reads 西補佗山 (western Potalaka mountain), the dark statue on the top of the tower is Quan Âm or Avalokitesvara.
Nui Ba Den is originally a sacred mountain that enshrines Linh Sơn Thánh Mẫu (霊山聖母) or the mother goddess of holy mountain. It is a typical Đạo Mẫu or mother goddess worship on par with Bà Chúa Xứ of Núi Sam in Chau Doc.
The temple in the lower mountainside houses a dark skinned statue of Linh Sơn Thánh Mẫu a.c.a. Bà Đen (black lady).
I suppose Sun World regards dark coloured Avalokitesvara as Bà Đen based on the understanding that the folk belief has merged with Mahayana Buddhism. It would be an example of religious syncretism.
English brochure of Sun World writes the name of the statue as "Lady Buddha," which, I think, is non-sense.
The rear part of the alter. The Eye is installed only in the Holy See.
Aside from the religious concept, I am amazed at the artistic talent of the founder to visualise his inner world. It is also interesting to know the inner world of a Vietnamese in the 19th century under the French colonial rule.
I am convinced that Vietnam is a trove of unique architectures.
Tây Ninh (西寧) is the capital of the Tây Ninh province. It is located on the northern edge of the Mekong Delta close to the Cambodian border.
This photo was taken in a recently developed part of the city.
The high-rise Melia hotel in the photo is owned by Vinpearl, a member of Vingroup that is one of the major conglomerates established after the Doi Moi economic reform.
Not only the hotel but also the whole block of shophouses seem to be designed and developed by Vinpearl.
Vingroup was founded by Phạm Nhật Vượng, who is from Hanoi, as Technocom in Ukraine in 1993. It started with producing instant noodles under the Mivina brand and later expanded its business to real estate development. By 2000 the company started operation in Vietnam founding a number of subsidy corporations including Vinpearl.
Although Melia Vinpearl looks to be an authentic five-star city hotel, Vinpearl is famous for the two large-scale resort and theme park developments in Nha Trang and Phou Quoc. Both resorts are like Disneyland built on off-shore islands connected by cable cars with the main land/island.
I had an impression during this trip that international tourists are the main target of tourism in Laos and Cambodia. Vietnam was also the same 10 years ago.
But now, Vietnam seems to have shifted its target to domestic tourists derailing from the international standard and formula of tourism development.
Tay Ninh is a good place to see a new direction of tourism development in Vietnam, which will be shown shortly.
Another photo of the old part of Tay Ninh. With plenty of drinking places, Tay Ninh looks like a typical Vietnamese city. It is noted, however, Tay Ninh is a religious city.
Núi Bà Đen is a close rival of Núi Sam in the same Mekong Delta as a sacred place for Đạo Mẫu or the goddess worship, Vietnam's folk belief.
Tay Ninh is also the birth place of Đạo Cao Đài or Caodaism and the place of its headquarters. Caodaism also worships Nui Ba Den and quotes the sacred mountain as a reason for choosing Tay Ninh to establish their headquarters.
The number of Caodaism supporters are estimated between 4 to 6 million. They concentrate in southern Vietnam, in particular, in Tay Ninh.
This unworldly space is built under the Budai/Maiitreya statue.
Water from the artificial waterfalls is guided into the pavilion.
Religions are in revival in Vietnam, and emerging entrepreneurs are quick to respond to the mood of the people. Sun World, in particular, has been constructing religious theme parks focusing on domestic tourism.
In many countries, tourism began with pilgrimage.
Vietnam may be following the same path, but it is unusual in that private entrepreneurs engage in religious constructions in the government-designated sites like Nui Ba Den.
Núi Bà Đen is a sacred mountain that has been worshipped by Khmers and later by Vietnamese like Núi Sam in Chau Doc.
Nui Ba Den was designated by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Historic Relic and Scenic Site in 1989. With the government approval of the Master Plan for the Nui Ba Den National Tourist Area in 2014, Sun Group started the development of the sacred mountain.
According to the English version of Wikipedia, Sun Group is one of the largest real estate developers in Vietnam. It was first founded in Ukraine in 1998 by Lê Viết Lam who was a business partner of Phạm Nhật Vượng, the founder of Vingroup. After establishing a supermarket, hotel and waterpark in Kharkiv, Lam came back to Vietnam in 2007.
It is interesting in that tourism development in Vietnam is led by those with Ukrainian connections, and their seed money for tourism developments was earned in Ukraine.
Sun World is the entertainment brand of Sun Group. Sun World has engaged in several large-scale tourism/theme park developments in such places as Ba Na Hills (Da Nang), Fan Si Pan, Ha Long Bay, Hon Thom (Phu Quoc), Cat Ba etc. They also prefer to use cable cars for the access to their sites like Vinpearl.
Sun World Nui Ba Den is one of Sun World's large-scale tourism developments.
The Vietnamese Buddhist temple in the photo is on a mountainside of Nui Ba Den. Temples and shrines in this area may have existed before Sun World's development but is currently accessible only with the cable car operated by Sun World. Cable car lines continue further up to the summit.
Cao Dai "Holy See" Temple, Long Hoa, Tay Ninh, Vietnam, founded in 1926
Caodaism is an indigenous religion wihich is a fusion of all the great religions of east & west.
The eye in the centre represents the left eye of God
Frontal part of the Cao Dai alter.
Please note the reliefs of Buddha, Avalokitesvara, Confucius, Laozi, Guan Yu, Jesus etc.
Cao Dai "Holy See" Temple, Tay Ninh, Vietnam, founded in 1926
Caodaism is a religion with fuses all the great religions of east & west
The eye in the centre represents the left eye of God
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,
and the life of the candle will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases by being shared. - Sutta Nipata
Tay Ninh Cao Dai Temple, Vietnam, 2004 (Explore #487 02.05.09)
Tây Ninh (Vietnam): Cao Dai Temple - ceremony at noon
Cao Dai est la troisième religion du Vietnam. Elle a été fondée dans les années vingt à Tây Ninh, près de Saigon, par un adepte taoïste nommé Ngô Van Chiêun. C'est une religion syncrétique qui tente d'unifier les concepts du bouddhisme, du confucianisme, du taoïsme, du christianisme, de l'islam, du judaïsme, et même de quelques formes locales d'animisme. Le nombre actuel des fidèles est mal connu en raison de la situation politique du pays. Il se situe entre deux et quatre millions dont les deux tiers étaient originellement bouddhistes. Le Caodaïsme admet fraternellement tous les hommes de bonne volonté sans distinction de croyance, de race, ni de rang social. C'est sur la ferveur et les mérites des fidèles que se bâtit la hiérarchie. Les Caodaïstes sont monothéistes. Ils croient en un seul dieu dont le même esprit s'est manifesté chez divers grands sages et prophètes tels Lao-tseu, Confucius, Bouddha, Moïse, Jésus ou Mahomet. On trouve aussi au Vietnam une autre religion syncrétique assez analogue, issue du Bouddhisme, le Hoa Hao. Elle compte au moins deux millions de fidèles et réunit bouddhisme, taoïsme, confucianisme et culte des ancêtres, mais elle exclut les autres confessions.
Cao Dai "Holy See"Temple, Long Hoa, Tay Ninh, Southern Vietnam
Caodaiism is an Indigenous religion fusion of East & West
The temple was founded in 1926
Prayers inside great Cao Dai Temple in Tay Ninh in the southern part of Vietnam. December 2003.
I am looking forward to visiting Vietnam again in January 2016: www.maciejdakowicz.com
Cao Dai temple in Tây Ninh
Cao Dai est la troisième religion du Vietnam. Elle a été fondée dans les années vingt à Tây Ninh, près de Saigon, par un adepte taoïste nommé Ngô Van Chiêun. C'est une religion syncrétique qui tente d'unifier les concepts du bouddhisme, du confucianisme, du taoïsme, du christianisme, de l'islam, du judaïsme, et même de quelques formes locales d'animisme. Le nombre actuel des fidèles est mal connu en raison de la situation politique du pays. Il se situe entre deux et quatre millions dont les deux tiers étaient originellement bouddhistes. Le Caodaïsme admet fraternellement tous les hommes de bonne volonté sans distinction de croyance, de race, ni de rang social. C'est sur la ferveur et les mérites des fidèles que se bâtit la hiérarchie. Les Caodaïstes sont monothéistes. Ils croient en un seul dieu dont le même esprit s'est manifesté chez divers grands sages et prophètes tels Lao-tseu, Confucius, Bouddha, Moïse, Jésus ou Mahomet. On trouve aussi au Vietnam une autre religion syncrétique assez analogue, issue du Bouddhisme, le Hoa Hao. Elle compte au moins deux millions de fidèles et réunit bouddhisme, taoïsme, confucianisme et culte des ancêtres, mais elle exclut les autres confessions.
Tay Ninh, Vietnam
Cao Đài is a relatively modern syncretistic, monotheistic religion, officially established in the city of Tây Ninh, southern Vietnam in 1926. Due to its young age, it shows its syncretistic roots more than older religions.
More information on Wikipedia
Large is very nice!!
Special palm trees that do not grow straight as normal as should be, they blend with each other to make symbol of love in nature.
Where the Faithful Worship Among the Tourists… For 70 years this temple outside the small city of Tay Ninh, about 120 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) near the Cambodian border, has been the center of Cao Dai, which has five million adherents. A religion that aims to unite all of humanity through the common vision of an individual creator — the same God honored by most major religions. A way forward for today’s increasingly intollerant society? – Tay Ninh, Vietnam